Reasonable Accommodation

[Lambsydoats]

Has anyone successfully argued to make their position permanently remote based on vulnerability to severe effects of COVID-19 due to, among other things, suffering from sleep apnea?

[Cpapian]

I don't think sleep apnea has been identified as a factor.

Even asthma has not been identified,  which surprised us.

[mesenteria]

I agree.  Sleep apnea, itself, is not indicated in any of the reports I have seen.  Ischemic heart disease, hypertension, lung diseases like sarcoidosis and emphysema or COPD, diabetes,, and various forms of dementia ARE indicated as potential risk factors.  The COVID-19 disease cause endothelial dysfunction, which affects nerves and blood vessels, so it all seems to fit.  As far as I know, endothelial dysfunction is not a cause of sleep apnea...the two are unrelated.

[Lambsydoats]

I have read that it is a factor in one's susceptibility to harsher effects from COVID; that's what prompted my post.

"An analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland has suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019).


The team found that a disproportionate number of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had pre-existing OSA (diagnosed a median of 2.5 years beforehand).

The researchers also identified elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and possibly reduced oxygen saturation as potentially useful measures for predicting which patients may require critical care."

This isn't from a peer-reviewed journal, so maybe it's hogwash.

I realize it isn't a condition that would render one eligible for disability, which I'm not interested in anyway.

[sheepless]

from a completely data free but common sense point of view, I suspect that untreated apnea would work against us to the extent it detrimentally affects us in so many ways, leaving our defenses compromised. the corollary might be treated apnea is less of a risk factor. of course I'm merely speculating; I've often wondered if this 'logic' applies to say, unmanaged vs managed hypertension. while folks without risk factors may fare best, I assume it would be better to get covid with treated/managed conditions than not.

[Cpapian]

I looked at the university's research tab for 20 or so pages and couldn't find it. I wonder if the previously diagnosed patients followed their treatment.

[mesenteria]

Apart from deficiencies in zinc and vitamins C and D3, all I have learned to date is that three compounds have been shown to treat COVID-19 with a modicum of success, and then only in the most acute and urgent cases requiring intensive care: N-acetyl cystine (NAC), ivermectin, and remdesivir.  None of those is effective in treating apnea to my knowledge, and they don't treat any of the typical sequelae of apnea...again, to my knowledge...I could be wrong.  If there are sequelae of apnea that factor in COVID-19 deterrence, it would be hypertension and possibly obesity, although obesity begets its own problems without the help of apnea...think diabetes.  But we have to beware of the post hoc problem.